Benchmark Grade 7

Below is a picture of the rock strata of a mountain.

• The rock layers at the top of the mountain are the oldest.
• The rock strata can provide an absolute time scale of Earth's history.
• The rock strata can be used to understand relative dates in Earth's history.
• The rock layers in the mountain are made out of materials that are the same age.

Plants rely on the process of photosynthesis to grow and reproduce. What resources to they need for this process?

• Energy from the sun, water, and carbon dioxide in the air.
• Matter from the sun, water, and carbon dioxide in the air.
• Matter from the sun, energy from water, and carbon dioxide in the air.
• Energy from the sun, matter from water, and carbon dioxide in the air.

Energy from the sun is essential to the cycle of life on our planet. Producers, consumers, and decomposers are part of this cycle. What is the role of decomposers in this energy cycle?

• Decomposers take carbon from the soil and make it available to other life forms
• Decomposers break down dead organisms and release energy from those organisms into the atmosphere.
• Decomposers take energy from the sun and converts it into a form that is usable by other life forms.
• Decomposers break down dead life forms for their own survival; this process also releases energy for other life forms.

Part of the food web from a local pond is shown in the pictures below. If all the snakes were removed from the pond, what effect would this have on the ecosystem?

• There would be an increase in the turtle population, which would cause an increase in the slug population.
• There would be an increase in the number of turtle eggs, but the slug and plant populations would remain the same.
• There would be a decrease in the turtle population, which would cause an increase in both the slug and plant population.
• There would be an increase in the turtle population, which would cause a decrease in both the slug and plant population.

The models below represent the particles of one substance in different phases of matter. Select the answer that best describes the relative thermal energy among the states of matter.

• Solid has less thermal energy than liquid, which has less than gas.
• Solid has the same amount of thermal energy as liquid, which is less than gas.
• Solid has the same amount of thermal energy as liquid, which is the same as a gas.
• Solid has greater amount of thermal energy than a liquid, which is greater than a gas.

A large forest was recently cut down. Which of the following effects, only relating to photosynthesis, is most likely to occur in this area as a result?

• A decrease in carbon dioxide in the air.
• An increase in sunlight.
• A decrease in oxygen in the air.
• An increase in glucose (sugar) in this area.

Several solutions have been studied to reduce the rat population in a city. Select the best solution based on how well it decreases the rat population while keeping humans and their pets safe.

• Solution A
• Solution B
• Solution C
• Solution D

Burning hydrogen is an example of a chemical reaction. The reaction is:

• Energy is absorbed
• Energy is released
• Energy is first released, then absorbed, and eventually it disappears.
• There is no energy in this reaction.

Barberfish swim alongside hammerhead sharks eating dead skin, fungi, and parasites off the sharks skin. Which statement describes the relationship between barberfish and hammerhead sharks?

• predation, because the barberfish is eating part of the hammerhead shark.
• mutualism, because both the barberfish and hammerhead shark benefit.
• parasitism, because the barberfish eats parasites from the hammerhead shark's skin.
• commensalism, because the barberfish benefits but the hammerhead shark does not benefit.

Which model best represents conservation of matter (same number and types of atoms before and after a chemical reaction) in a chemical reaction? Pick the best answer.

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